This invention relates to a rhythm selection control device for an electronic musical instrument.
Generally an automatic rhythm playing apparatus is built into an electronic musical instrument. To select a rhythm and a mode of the selected rhythm a switch assembly is arranged on the operation panel of the electronic musical instrument. The conventional rhythm selection control device has a switch unit constituted by a plurality of three-position push switches, the number of which is equal to the number of rhythms which can be played by the automatic rhythm playing apparatus. While all the three-position push switches remain at their top position, no rhythm is played. When any one of push switches is pushed to an intermediate position, a corresponding rhythm is selected and played in the standard mode. When the push switch is further pushed to its bottom position, the rhythm playing is switched to the variation mode. If the push switch at its bottom position is tapped lightly, it returns to its intermediate position. Further, the push switch, locked at its intermediate or bottom position, returns to its top position when any other push switch at its top position is tapped lightly.
As mentioned above, in the conventional rhythm selection control device the mode of a rhythm is controlled in accordance with the depth at which the push switch is locked. A selected rhythm is switched from the standard mode to the variation mode when the corresponding three-position push switch is pushed from its intermediate position to its bottom position. Such a switch locking cannot always correctly be made since it is difficult for a player to exactly push the switch to the specified depth while playing the electronic musical instrument. The player may push the push switch mistakenly too shallow or too deep. As a result, the selected rhythm is played in the variation mode when the player wants to have the rhythm played in the standard mode. Conversely, the selected rhythm is played in the standard mode when the player wants to have the rhythm played in the variation mode.